“Uzodimma Has Brought The World To Imo”,  First Lady Oluremi Tinubu

A happy, excited and relaxed First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, took a hard look at the Imo State she saw on Wednesday, the roads, the infrastructural provision, and the many people who thronged the State from within and outside to join its Governor and his lovely wife, Chioma, a Lawyer,  to welcome her, and declared gleefully and truthfully that “Uzodimma has brought the world to Imo State”.

She also joined the Governor, and his wife to empower 2,500 Imo women, vulnerable persons.

The First Lady’s visit was as glamorous as it was grounded in dignity and culture. One of the highlights was the chieftaincy title of ‘Oso Di Eme’ bestowed on Mrs Tinubu by all the Traditional Rulers in the State.

Mrs Tinubu commended Governor Uzodimma for what she described as his efforts to open the State to the world through his administration’s development initiatives.

She was in the State for an empowerment programme which was held at the Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square in Owerri, where 2,500 women and vulnerable persons benefited from various forms of support aimed at improving their livelihoods and economic wellbeing.

The First Lady’s empowerment programme in Imo State came under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.

Senator Oluremi, who spoke during the Southeast leg of the programme said 500 women across the Southeast were selected to receive empowerment items, including freezers, gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines to support new and existing businesses.

She disclosed that Imo State Governor had provided an additional 2,000 empowerment items for women in the State, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in Imo to 2,500.

“Because of what the Governor has done, I have decided to add N100,000 to each of the beneficiaries,” she said.

She said the nationwide programme was designed to empower 18,500 women, describing the initiative as part of the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive economic growth and the economic empowerment of Nigerian women.

She commended Governor Uzodimma for supporting women-focused initiatives and urged the beneficiaries to make productive use of the items to improve their businesses, support their families and contribute to the development of their communities.

According to her, the Governor’s administration has continued to create opportunities for women and other vulnerable members of the society, while also positioning Imo State for greater visibility, investment and development.

Her words: “I want to commend the Governor. I don’t flatter. He has brought the world to Imo. Imo is bubbling. The transformation I have met on ground, I am pleased.”

Mrs Tinubu said the empowerment of the beneficiaries was another demonstration of the administration’s commitment to improving the lives of ordinary residents and ensuring that vulnerable groups were not left behind.

The programme, which attracted women and other beneficiaries from across the State, provided support intended to enable them to strengthen their businesses, become self-reliant and contribute more meaningfully to the State’s economy.

Speaking at the event, Governor Uzodimma reiterated that Imo State would remain firmly aligned with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Governor said the State had benefited from the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and expressed confidence that the people of Imo would continue to support the President.

Uzodimma maintained that the State’s position was based on what he described as the need to sustain the development and reforms being implemented by the Federal Government.

The empowerment initiative and the Governor’s declaration came as part of the administration’s broader efforts to support vulnerable residents while strengthening its political and developmental agenda in the State.

Governor Uzodimma, who witnessed the presentation of the empowerment items, commended the Renewed Hope Initiative and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, for what he described as a “significant intervention aimed at reducing poverty and improving household livelihoods.”

The Governor described the empowerment items as “startup gifts and economic lifelines” for poor and vulnerable women, stressing that empowering women would strengthen families and communities.

“When you empower a woman, you have empowered an entire household, improved livelihoods and strengthened small businesses,” Uzodimma said.

He also commended Princess Orelope-Adefulire for her commitment to implementing the administration’s development agenda, while expressing appreciation to President  Tinubu for the Federal Government’s attention to infrastructure and development in Imo State.

The Governor assured the organisers of the State government’s continued support for programmes aimed at improving the economic wellbeing of women.

Also speaking, the First Lady of Imo State, Barrister Chioma Uzodimma, applauded the Renewed Hope Initiative and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs for their sustained support for women and vulnerable groups.

She explained that the 2,500 empowerment items would be distributed to women across the three senatorial zones of the State – Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri, with 500 items coming through the federal partnership and 2,000 provided by the State government.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously to strengthen their businesses, improve household incomes and create better opportunities for their families.

Earlier in her welcome remarks, Princess Orelope-Adefulire appreciated the First Lady of Nigeria and President Tinubu for their commitment to the welfare of women and the vulnerable persons in the country, stressing that through her office and that of the RHI thousands of women and vulnerable persons across the six geopolitical zones in the country have been directly supported with life-changing tools.

She thanked Governor Uzodimma and the Imo State First Lady who, incidentally, is the RHI State coordinator, for the huge interest they have shown in the wellbeing of the women demography in the State and the vulnerable persons.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for prioritising women and vulnerable groups in its programmes.

She said President Tinubu had placed women at the centre of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the declaration of 2026 as the Year of Family and Social Development was aimed at placing Nigerian families at the heart of national development.

The Imo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu, commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for its sustained empowerment programmes targeting women, girls and vulnerable groups.

She highlighted initiatives in ICT training, agriculture, support for persons with disabilities and the elderly, as well as assistance for women-owned small businesses.

She expressed appreciation to the leadership of the initiative for its commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerian women and vulnerable persons, while urging the organisers to sustain and expand the programmes.

It was not all about empowerment as earlier in the day, Senator Oluremi Tinubu was conferred with the prestigious traditional chieftaincy title of “Oso Di Eme” (which literally means a supportive wife), at the Eze Imo Palace, Owerri by all the Imo State Monarchs, led by the Chairman of Owerri Zone Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH, Eze Frederick Nwachukwu, who stood in for the Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH, Eze. Dr. EC Okeke.

The conferment was witnessed by ranking traditional rulers from the country such as the Ooni of Ife, HRM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe (Agbogidi); the Dein of Agbor Kingdom, Keagborekuzi I HRM Benjamin Ikenchukwu; Igwe Obosi, HRM, Dr. Chidubem Iweka, HRM, Eze Dr. Cletus Ilomuanya (Obinugwu of Orlu), among others.

Describing the conferment as “a humbling day,” the First Lady attributed her strength to serve to the grace of God and expressed gratitude to the traditional rulers and people of the Southeast for the honour.

She conveyed President Tinubu’s appreciation to traditional rulers and people of the region for their support for his administration, particularly during the removal of fuel subsidy.

She appealed for continued support for the administration and prayed for lasting peace and development in the Southeast.

Present the event were, the wives of State Governors, some serving and former federal and State law makers; Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, members of APC and State Working Committees, government appointees, Service Chiefs, Local Government Council Chairmen and Councillors, traditional rulers, business Moguls, various women and youth groups, among others.